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'Big relief': Force flanker to be released from hospital
By AAP
Western Force flanker Ollie Callan is expected to be released from hospital on Monday after being cleared of a severe neck injury.
Callan was rushed to hospital on Saturday night after injuring his neck while making a tackle in the opening minute of the 30-17 win over the Highlanders.
It's unclear whether the 22-year-old will be able to play again this Super Rugby Pacific season, but he has at least been cleared of serious damage.
"We're glad the worst-case scenarios have been ruled out and he's in good spirits," Force captain Michael Wells told reporters on Monday.
"The boys have made as much contact as we can. We've heard from the physio staff that he's pretty stir crazy in (hospital); he was telling everyone that he's fine.
"It's a big relief for everyone, because Ollie is a big part of the team.
"When you see someone go down and get stretchered off, everyone thinks worst-case scenario.
"So it's nice to know that didn't happen. I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing him in the building (on Tuesday) with the neck brace.
"The banter between the boys will start pretty quickly, and Ollie isn't one to take it lying down either."
Winger Toni Pulu is set to miss several weeks with concussion, ruling him out of Saturday night's match against Queensland at Suncorp Stadium.
Pulu's head slammed into the turf early in last week's win over the Highlanders, and his history of head knocks means the Force will take a careful approach.
Zach Kibirige (hamstring) is a chance to replace Pulu.
The Force were thumped 71-20 when they faced the Reds in round two, with the heavy loss coming just a week after Simon Cron's men opened their season with a fighting win over the Rebels.
"It was a skill set versus mindset question for us," Wells said of the 51-point loss to the Reds.
"We've got the skillset, we didn't perform last time against the Reds because we didn't have the proper mindset.
"We had a bad training week because guys were complacent, they felt like we'd won a game, we were pretty confident in ourselves.
"It's taken that reality check, and I'm glad we took it in round two rather than having it now."
The Force moved from 11th to eighth on the ladder with the win over the Highlanders and can leapfrog the sixth-placed Reds with a win this weekend.
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Latest Comments
The difference between Fassi and Le Roux?
Almost 100 tests. Fassi is growing from test to test and is already world class. It’s going to be difficult for Damian Willemse to usurp Fassi at 15 and may find himself destined as the utility back on the bomb squad.
South Africans love hating on their fullback. A proud tradition since Percy Montgomery (before he won us a World Cup). So I don’t pay much mind to the noise that follows anyone who puts on the 15 jersey for SA.
15 is a high risk, low reward position. You don’t dare drop a high ball, certainly don’t shank a kick into the stands. In fact if you’re not kicking 60m torpedoes into the opposition corners - stay at home.
And miss tackles? After everyone else on the team has let a break through - best you not miss!
Only Andre Joubert strikes me as a fullback that has been better than Willie. Yet Willie has been widely panned on a regular basis. Irritating.
Fassi is great. And I’m sure he’s learning a lot from Willie.
Go to commentsNo, Penney's win rate as a Super Rugby coach BEFORE he was given a 2 year contract here, was 23%. He came in with a very poor success rate at SR level.
This loser vibe was borne out over the SR season where we won only 4 games while losing 10. Finishing 9th in a 12 team competition & missing a QF spot was next level DOWN.
There's zero evidence that suggests we will win 10 games (70%) as you predict. I understand there may be new assistant coaches coming on board. At this stage, we can only hope for the best.
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